A federal judge has dismissed Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.” But the Canadian rapper is already on his “Hotline Bling” vowing to appeal.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York granted UMG’s motion to dismiss all claims on Thursday, Oct. 9.
In a 38-page decision, Vargas described the case as involving “perhaps the most infamous rap battle” in history, but ruled “the allegedly defamatory statements in ‘Not Like Us’ are nonactionable.”
Related: Kendrick Lamar Wins Emmy Award for Super Bowl Halftime Show
Kendrick referred to Drake as a “certified pedophile” in the single.
The judge said the single did not rise to the level of defaming Canadian hitmaker Aubrey Drake Graham.
“Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that ‘Not Like Us’ imparts verifiable facts about Plaintiff,” the judge wrote.
UMG praised the ruling.
“From the outset, this suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day,” the company said in a statement to the media. “We’re pleased with the court’s dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake’s music and investing in his career.”
A spokesperson for Drake told Urban Hollywood 411, “We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”
“Not Like Us” was released in May 2024, as the two rappers dropped competing diss tracks. Kendrick’s chart-topping single became a cultural sensation, struck Grammys gold, and was the centerpiece of the Compton rapper’s Super Bowl halftime show performance.
In response, Drake turned to the courts.
The “Take Care” rapper filed the lawsuit in January 2025, and alleged UMG “intentionally published and promoted” the single “while knowing that the song’s insinuations that he has sexual relations with minors were false and defamatory.”
He filed an amendment in April over Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance. “It was the first, and will hopefully be the last, Super Bowl halftime show orchestrated to assassinate the character of another artist,” the amended complaint read.
Universal — which represents both rappers — fired back at Drake calling his lawsuit “misguided.” When the suit was filed, UMG said Drake “lost a rap battle that he provoked.”
CNN reported the rivalry between the hip-hop giants started a year earlier when rapper J. Cole collaborated with Drake on the song, “First Person Shooter.” Cole calls himself, Lamar and Drake the “big three” in rap.
Lamar cast doubt about the claim in a March 2024 single titled “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin. Among the lyrics are “Motherf–k the big three, ni–a, it’s just big me.”
In her ruling on Thursday, the judge called the lyrical feud between Drake and Kendrick, “perhaps the most infamous rap battle in the genre’s history,” but in her words, Kendrick murdered his rival with words.
“Over the course of 16 days, the two artists released eight so-called ‘diss tracks,’ with increasingly heated rhetoric, loaded accusations, and violent imagery,” the judge wrote, before adding a final insult. “The penultimate song of this feud, ‘Not Like Us’ by Kendrick Lamar, dealt the metaphorical killing blow.”
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